Flyte | SXSW Top 25

Flyte joined BBC’s line up at the end of the week of new music at SXSW, to play an afternoon show as music nerds from all over the world gathered to find sanction from the Texas sun, but found themselves in front of the soft melodies, soothing vocals and rhythmic instrumentation that is Flyte.

Performing barefoot on stage, Flyte’s boy-next-door look goes a long way to their overall charm, enhancing the ingenuity that is their music. Sonically, they are not typical of an indie-pop band, but more like the pop of the 60s, where the guitar strums and bass line form the most important part of the music. Their music is not distracted by clever synths and tricks, but Flyte really take the ‘less is more’ approach to make their lyrics stick in your mind.

The poetic nature of their lyrics, such as song ‘Victoria Falls,’ lets listeners focus on the stories that inspire each of their songs. The delicate topics that Flyte grapple with include the likes of mental health, relationships, and domestic abuse, an issue that ‘Cathy Come Home’ so sensitively sings about. The frank nature of the lyrics (‘Cathy he doesn’t love you… Tell us about the bruise on your arm’) make it hard to ignore and it’s admirable the band are bringing such a topic to the forefront.

Their debut album ‘The Loved Ones’ consists of music with dreamy, haunting vocals layered in harmony, and the group’s strong vocals never go unnoticed. ‘Archie, Marry Me’ is a particularly strong example of this one. Not afraid to do covers, the band ended the set with an acapella performance of this pop hit from Alvvays, where the room was listening in respectful silence to their angel like choir performance of it.

Flyte are slowly but surely winning over both dedicated fans and first-time audiences again and again, and their careful crafting of their music makes them ones to watch for the long run.